Fort Bliss sends runners to DC for Army Ten Miler

Sgt. Ryan Hawkins and Capt. Vanessa Rodriguez will be competing in the Army Ten Miler in Washington, D.C. The race, which is expected to attract 30,000 runners from U.S. Army installations around the world, is scheduled for Oct. 20. (Victor Calzada El Paso Times)

Sixteen long-distance runners from Fort Bliss are on a mission, a mission to uphold the installation's pride against runners from the rest of the Army.

Fort Bliss is sending teams of eight men and eight women active-duty service members to Washington, D.C., for the annual Army Ten Miler. The race, which is expected to attract 30,000 runners from U.S. Army installations around the world, is scheduled for Oct. 20.

"We are hoping to learn from last year," said Maj. Joe Buccino, the captain of the men's team and the deputy public affairs officer for the 1st Armored Division. "Sometimes, you can peak too quickly in training, and we may have peaked in September last year. We have a progressive training schedule this year that we hope will allow us to peak at the right time."

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Last year, Fort Bliss' men's team finished sixth and the women's team took third. The times of the top four finishers from each team are added up to get an aggregate team time.

Fort Bliss held two qualifying races earlier this year and the eight fastest men and eight fastest women were selected to participate in the 10-mile race.

"This race is important because it allows us to compete against the fastest athletes and teams across the Army," said Buccino, a 39-year-old Queens, N.Y., native who was also on the Fort Bliss team last year. "For us, this isn't a sightseeing trip. This is a military operation. It's an opportunity to compete and win on behalf of the installation. That's really our focus."

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Capt. Vanessa Rodriguez, an intelligence analyst with the 1st Armored Division's headquarters, is on the women's team for the third time in four years.

The 26-year-old Harlingen, Texas, native is hoping the women's team can take first place this time around. They were second in 2010 and she was deployed in 2011 and didn't run then.

"It's pretty cool to be part of this and to represent Fort Bliss," she said.

While the runners will take the race seriously, there is a fun aspect to the trip, she said.

There is a pasta feed the night before the race, a running expo and an El Paso Night that is put on by the local chapter of the Association of the United States Army. They usually get a chance to do some sightseeing, too, she said.

Rodriguez ran cross country at the University of Texas Pan American. She plans to leave the Army in November.

"This is my last hurrah, basically," she said.Being part of a team can push you to be a better runner and she's also been able to make friends from participating, she said.Sgt. Ryan Hawkins is a member of the men's team and is a behavioral health specialist with the 219th Medical Detachment, 31st Combat Support Hospital.

Hawkins, a 31-year-old Glen Hope, Pa., native, got into running as a way to keep in shape after his collegiate baseball career ended. He was a pitcher with Division III Muskingum University in Ohio.

"It's been a lot of preparation and hard work to get" to the Army Ten Miler, Hawkins said. "It's good to know it pays off when you put your mind to it and dedicate yourself to something."

Pfc. Antonio Varela has been in the Army just 11 months, but has earned a trip to Washington too. The 19-year-old Pecos, N.M., native has had some high-profile success in the past. He was a five-time state high school champion during his days at Pecos High School.

He won Class AA in cross country three times and the 3,200 meters twice.

"It's awesome," said Varela, a member of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. "I'm really happy for the opportunity to run."

He is also excited to go back to Washington, which he had visited once before on vacation.